Gluten Free Brownies

Decadent and fudgy these gluten free brownies have a crackly surface and rich chocolatey flavour with ground almonds instead of flour.

Yes, gluten free brownies. Just in time for Valentine’s Day. I know, it’s almost upon us, so naturally, a decadent chocolate dessert is required. No matter what your status. I actually think that it is always the perfect time for a decadent chocolate dessert, but some people think that Valentine’s day is the perfect time for it. Whatever floats your boat. This year, I’ve opted for brownies, but brownies aren’t the most romantic dessert out there, are they? Brownies are kind of homely the sort of thing your aunt would bring over on the weekend just because. But let’s have some real talk for a minute; I’m not really making these brownies for anyone in particular right now, am I?

Back to the gluten free brownie recipe, that’s why you’re here, right? I’m not one of those anti-gluten types of people, but half of my family doesn’t eat gluten, so if I want to make a dessert for everyone, gluten-free is the only way to go. I know, who thought you could put gluten-free, delicious and simple in the same recipe.
I’ve had a love-hate relationship with gluten-free brownies for about 15 years. I know, 3/4 of my life, it’s a pretty serious relationship at this point. You see, my mum and grandmother have been gluten intolerant since before being gluten intolerant was even a thing (a.k.a 20 years). They are the O.G. gluten-free folks. Now, back in the day, there wasn’t such a thing as a gluten-free aisle in the grocery store and there wasn’t this myriad of gluten-free flours to use in baked goods, really all there was rice bread that had the texture of hockey pucks, rice cakes which taste like air and rice crackers that were so salty you almost wanted to rinse them under the water before taking a bite. Instead, my mom, the talented baker and cook that she is, took things into her own hands and worked out recipes for gluten-free treats. Her trials and tribulations resulted in a lot of delicious desserts, which sometimes had the tendency to crumble in your hands. This didn’t transfer over well to brownies because, let’s face the facts, brownies must be fudgy. With her head start on brownie recipe development, I took it as a challenge to developer the perfect, decadent and fudgy gluten-free chocolate brownie.

These brownies are fudgy, they don’t crumble and have just the right amount of richness you want in a brownie. And want to hear the best part about this recipe? It doesn’t use fifteen hundred different types of flours, just ground almonds. I think that’s the secret when it comes to getting the right brownie consistency; the rice flours and potato flours don’t react the same way regular flour does and the brownies end up being a little on the dry side no matter how much butter or how many eggs you add.

If you’re looking for more Valentine’s dessert ideas, check out these recipes: